Since the start of lockdown, if there’s one thing that many of us have suddenly become familiar with, it’s video chat.
Whether it’s a Zoom quiz with friends, a Microsoft Teams meeting, Google Hangout, Houseparty or a GoToMeeting, we’re getting used to turning on the webcam.
There are plenty of people using video chat in inventive ways too, from creative workshops delivered online to entire book festivals broadcast via video chat.
When lockdown first started and people rushed to move their work online, I wondered whether to join them. Should I set up an online writing workshop or a book reading? Is it time to create a mini festival or a video based campaign?
So far, I’ve held back.
Despite being reluctant to talk on the phone in normal times, I’ve embraced Zoom. My regular writers’ groups have gone online and I’m having endless video meetings for work. When lockdown started, we’d chat on the phone, then via Teams with the camera turned off, until everyone began to get comfortable: sweats on, hair scraped back and glimpses of life in the background, from unruly children to piles of washing. I’ve even delivered some freelance training via Zoom and love being able to share screens with ease.
For a while now, I’ve wanted to teach more writing workshops, and in one way this is the time to start. There are plenty of people with time to fill, looking for inspiration and comfort and connection. With Zoom, I can reach people from around the world. There are endless niches to fill.
There are a few reasons I haven’t done it. I’m still working and busier than ever. I spend so much of my day at the computer that I’m not keen to add hours on a video call, it’s surprisingly draining.
Somehow my Wi-Fi connection always seems to pick the wrong moment to cut out. You’ve probably experienced it: that moment when the person you’re talking to seems to freeze and you think it’s a problem with their internet. Then you realise, no, it’s you who’s dropped off the call. Not helpful when you’re in the middle of teaching a class.
And there’s so much great content out there, I’m not sure I have much to add just by being me. It would be great to join a bigger project or team up with other writers, but it’s surprisingly nerve-wracking talking into the screen when you’re the centre of attention, the one who has to keep things going. Somehow it feels easier in person, when you’re sharing the same space and can make that physical contact. You don’t have to be distracted each time you catch sight of your own face or the dog starts barking in the background.
Maybe Zoom is the future and we’ll all be running sessions and attending events online for years to come. Or we might abandon it altogether as soon as it’s safe to get back out in the real world. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, how our creativity adapts to the changing circumstances.